Standing Firm - Doug Rehberg

In light of the Coronavirus craze I think of Dr. William Oslear, one of the founders of John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, who said, “It is more important to know what sort of patient has a disease than what sort of disease a patient has.” Did you ever hear of the hypochondriac who was fanatical in following every care he could find in a book or magazine? Unfortunately, he died of a typographical error!

Years ago Norman Cousins wrote a true story of a high school football game in Southern California at which a small number of people started feeling sick. The doctor at the game suspected food poisoning, so an announcement was made that no one was to get a drink from a certain beverage machine that was thought to contain the noxious drink. Soon the medical station was flooded with people claiming to be suffering from food poisoning. Hundreds of people were temporarily hospitalized. Panic hit the stadium.

Later, upon examining the machine and testing the drinks, no problems were found. Every single item tested was found to be perfectly safe. As soon as people were told that the machine was not at fault, the illness started clearing up!

A friend recently asked, “How many funerals have you conducted since arriving at Hebron?” Now, this isn’t a new question. But this time I decided to check my records. The number is 627. And over 750 in my entire ordained ministry. But there was one memorial service that I participated in long before my ordained ministry began. What stands out most vividly is what happened in a hospital waiting room a week before that service. I’ll talk about it in Sunday’s message entitled, “Standing Firm”.

Sunday’s text, John 16:1-15, marks the beginning of a new chapter in John’s gospel, but’s it’s a continuation of what Jesus is saying in chapter 15. In John 15:18-25, Jesus uses the word “hate” 7 times. “They will hate you,” He says. “They will put you out of the synagogue. They will even kill you thinking that’s what God wants them to do!”

Now this isn’t hypochondria. This isn’t a feckless worry. This is “take it to the bank” realism. This is what He says will truly occur in the life of every disciple. But that’s not all Jesus says! He tells us of 3 realities that will assist us in seeing things the way He sees them and, therefore, standing firm.

We will dig into all of this on Sunday, so in preparation you may wish to consider the following:

1. What does Jesus mean in verse 1?

2. On what grounds would anyone do the things described in verse 2?

3. What help does Jesus offer to us in our suffering?

4. How familiar is this Helper with helping someone in the midst of their suffering?

5. In what way is Jesus telling us that we will walk the same road as He walked?

6. How does Jesus describe Him in verse 13?

7. What’s the difference between a teacher and a guide? Who would you rather have?

8. How does suffering redirect our eyes from ourselves to the Lord?

9. How does it redirect our eyes from ourselves to others?

10. How does all this connect to what Jesus says in John 15:12-14?

See you Sunday!